Thread: Dire.. beasts?
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Old 02-11-2003, 06:35 PM   #9
SixOfSpades
Dracolisk
 

Join Date: September 16, 2001
Location: Bellingham, WA, USA
Age: 48
Posts: 6,901
Quote:
For some reason, even among the mega fauna, everything was HUGE here.[/QB]
Mass homeothermy. Bigger beast = lower surface area to body-mass ratio = easier to stay warm. Most commonly seen in warm-blooded creatures. Larger size also means much greater resistance to predators, and the ability to prey upon larger food sources (which adds the benefit of having to hunt less often--one kill can feed the family for a week).

That doesn't explain the strange concentration that you describe in Beringea, though. Perhaps food and other resources were extremely plentiful, sparking an "arms race" of ever-bigger beasties. The opposite certainly occurs when resources are scarce--Shetland ponies, to take a modern-day example.
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